Information slot-machine



(No Model.) l 2 sheetssheet 1. A. G. HART.

INFORMATION SLOT MACHINE. No. l56,566. Patented July 28, 1891.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. G. HART.

INFORMATION SLOT MACHINE. No. 456,566. i Patented July Z8, 1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

ANSALEM G. UART, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

INFORMATION SLOT-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 456,566, dated July 28, 1891.

Application iiled January 9,1891. Serial No. 377,246. (No modelJ i T0 a/ZZ whom it' may concern.-

Beit known that I, ANsALEM G. HART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of lVayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Information Slot-Machines; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

In the drawings, Figure l is a view in ele vation of an apparatus embodying my invention, with the adjacent face removed, so as to illustrate the operative mechanism. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the saine with the top removed, showing the operative parts. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the apparatus.) Fig. 4 is a perspective view. Fig. 5 is a separate view illustrating the hopper in the operation of discharging the money therefrom. Fig. 6 is a separate view of the slot into which the money is dropped. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 8 is a separate view of the roller for taking up the slack in the ribbon. Fig. 9 represents a section of the ribbon.

Itis the purpose of my invention to produce a slot-machine of that type designed to operate whena piece of money is dropped into a slot, and which shall produce before the operator the information which he seeks-as, for instance, a forecast of the events he may look to transpire within the year next following his birthday.

The invention consists, essentially, in a ribbon having printed upon its face dates corresponding with every dayin the year and opposite said date a printed statement of eircumstances and events, the device being so 'constructed that a person desiring to ascertain the events relating to himself during the year next following' his birthday may turn the m machine in one direction or another until the ment of the ribbon shall serve to replace the obscuring-shield until it may be again raised by another coin.

In carrying out my invent-ion, A represents a suitable case or shell preferably provided with a cover A', hinged at a and provided with a lock and key a', whereby access may be readily had with the interior.

B represents a ribbon of paper or fabric wound upon suitable rollers B and B2.

C is an indicating-glass, back of which the ribbon traverses as it is wound off of one roller onto the other.

B3 is a cog-wheel upon a shaft I) and actuated by a handle b upon the exterior of the case. The gear-wheel B3 meshes with pinions b2 upon the rollers B and B2, so that as the gear-wheel B3 is turnedby a handle b it will operate to unwind the ribbon from one of the rollers and to wind the saine upon the other roller. Upon this ribbon B is printed in successive order the dates corresponding with every day in the year, one of which dates is shown exposed in Fig. 3. Opposite each of these dates lnay be printed the information desired. Thus, for instance, suitable instructions may be posted upon the machine. These instructions may set forth that anybody wish-- ing to ascertain the events connected with" himself which are liable to transpire within one year from his last or next succeeding birthday shall bring to the glass indicator the date corresponding with his birthday, and there will be printed opposite each said date a series of events such as from the experienee of astrologers and clairvoyants have been found most likely to be associated with the livesof persons born upon the said dates. The said information is, however, concealed, only to be exposed upon the dropping of a coin into the slot.

As will be now explained, D is a suitable frame pivoted at CZ. D is an obseuring-shield secured at its end and adapted before the coin is dropped into the machine to rest down back of the indicating-glass C, as shown by the full lines in Fig. l. At the opposite end of this frame is a hopper D2. D3 is a yoke, which serves to close the bottom of the said hopper, and provided with a pin D4, projecting downward from its lower end. B4 is a roller, about which the ribbon is passed. d is an adjustablev weight located at any suitable point upon the said pivoted frame.

We will now presume the machine is designed to operate by dropping a dime into the slot. The Weight d is carefully adjusted so that the frame D may be tilted by just the Weight of a dime. The dirne, having been dropped intothe hopperDZ, serves to tilt the frame D, causing the point D4 to come down and impinge against the roller B4. This opcrates to raise the obscuring-shield D and exposes the printed matter at the side of the date. The coin, however, remains in the hopper D2 until the ribbon is movedrin either direction; but as soon as the ribbon is moved the point D4 is dragged to' the right or left until the coin is discharged from the hopper, as shown in Fig. 5. Then the frame immediately tilts in the opposite direction and brings the obscuring-disk down behind theA indicating-glass C, leaving nothing exposed except the dates which may be observed through the orifice c in the said shield for this purpose.

E is the slot through which the coin is dropped. I prefer to line the bottom of the said slot along the portion e with lead or other frictional matter.. This slot is so located with respect tothe hopper D2 that the proper coin-as, .for instance, a dime-When dropped 1nto`the slot will slide freely therefrom and enter the hopper. If, however, a slug'of lead should be introduced instead of a dime, this lead wouldV meet with so much friction against the lead surface e that it would fall directly from the end ofV the slot intothe interior ofV the' case Without shooting over the case into the coin-hopper, and would of course not operate the frame D.

Again, suppose a mischievous person should tie a string into a hole in a dime coin and dropit through the slot. The string would pass into the notch e', (shown in Fig. 7,) and in attempting to again remove the dime it would be cut oit and dropped into theinterior of the box. Moreover, the string would prevent thedime from jumping across into the hopper. His attempt would therefore simply result in thek loss of his money.

. F represents a weighted roller resting upon the ribbon B and designed to take up the slack and maintain the same taut as it is being rolled off from one of the rollers onto the other.

I do not limit myself herein to a construction in which the point D4 shall strike against the roller B4. It may strike' against any of the other rollers or against the ribbon itself or against any other moving part which moves as the ribbon is moved.

D5 represents any suitable dehector for directing the coin'in any desired direction after it drops from the hopper.

The coin is illustrated at G in Fig. 5.

This is of course not limited to the employn ment of a ribbon with a forecast of events, as described; but any other information maybe arranged upon the ribbons, and instead of the key being a series of dates it may be a series of letters or any other signs, it being only necessary that the operator may be furnished with proper instructions how to set the ribbon in order` to gather the information he seeks and which it purports to give him.

What l claim isl. Aninformation slot-machine comprising a ribbon upon which the data to be displayed is printed, rolls for causing the said ribbon to traversepast an indicating-ori iice, and atiltin g frameprovided at one end with an obscuringshield adjacent to said orice and at the other l end with a coin-hopper, said frame adapted to be tilted by the weight of a coin in the hopper, and saidh'opperadapted by the weight of the coin to be brought into engagement with the ribbon mechanism and constructed to be dumped by the latter uponany movement of the ribbon in either direction, substantially as described.

2. An information slot-machine comprising two rollers upon which is wound a ribbon with the desired information printed thereon and adapted to traverse past an indicatingorifice, a gear-wheel engaged with said rollers, and an exterior handle for actuating they same, and in connection therewith an obscuringshield fixed at one end of a til-ting frame, and a coin-hopper fixed to the other end of said frame, this frame adapted to be tilted by the Weight of the coin in the hopper, and said hopper being adapted by the weight of the coin to be brought into engagement with the ribbon mechanism and constructed to be dumped bythe latter upon any movement of the ribbon in either direction, substantially as described.

3. An information slot-machine comprising a ribbon B and rollers for causing the same to traverse past an indicating-orifice, said ribbon provided with dates corresponding with the consecutive days, and opposite each date the information desired to be exposed therewith, and in combination with said ribbon an obscuring-shield adapted to obscure the information adjacent to the date, but to continuously expose the date, and a tilting frame to which said obscuring-shield and coin-receiver are attached, said frame adapted to be tilted by the Weight of a coin in the hopper and eX- pose the desired information, and said coinreceiver adapted by the weight of the coin to be brought into engagement with the ribbon mechanism and constructed to be dumped by the latter upon any movement of the ribbon in either direction, substantially as described.

4. An information slot-machine consisting of a ribbon with means for traversing the same in front of an indicating-oriiice, said ribbon having the information to be displayed printed thereon, and a tilting frame provided with an obscuring-shield and a coin-hopper,

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said frame adapted to tilt and shift the shield by the Weight of the coin in the hopper, said hopper provided with a swinging bottom adapted to be actuated by n moving part of the mechanism when the ribbon is shifted, and thereby dropping' the coin, subtantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two Witnesses.

ANSALEM G. HART.

Witnossesi MARION A. REEVE, DELL. BROWNE. 

